View from Peachtree - South

October 21,2019

A.J. Robinson, Saporta Report Thought Leadership Column

In Atlanta, “Peachtree Street” is a quick stand-in for the city’s three central business districts—Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead—and our three CIDs have made it a point to research and formalize the impact of the Peachtree Corridor on the city at large, and the takeaways are clear: the economic and fiscal impacts are substantial.

Every great city has its marquee street—its Champs-Elysees, its Michigan Avenue, its Via Del Corso. Peachtree Street connects key neighborhoods in Atlanta’s core, serving as a point of reference and citywide identity marker. Most importantly, it provides essential nodes of activity and supports our local and regional economy.

Peachtree Street is where businesses large and small, companies new and storied, can establish themselves and thrive. But Peachtree is also an important focal point for the smaller but equally impactful activities that keep the urban core strong, from ancillary businesses that support our daytime office and student populations to being an iconic destination for the millions of visitors drawn to Atlanta each year. As they say, all roads lead to Peachtree, and for good reason.

The Peachtree Corridor also serves as a local standard-bearer for good urban design. Its unceasing activity demands that we imagine and execute strategies that balance the needs of all mobility options. It demands that we craft an exceptional pedestrian experience, with accommodating and safe sidewalks teeming with the elements of urban life that make cities special.

Downtown wouldn’t be Downtown without Peachtree, and Atlanta wouldn’t be Atlanta without its most famous street.  I welcome you to follow along with the Downtown perspective in this column series with our CID neighbors as we explore various “connective tissue” topics that all lead back to…Peachtree Street, of course.